The Tension and the Terror
by Seriously Sam
Summary: James Potter just doesn’t understand that Lily Evans just doesn’t like him.


Title –The Tension and the Terror

Summary – James Potter just doesn't understand that Lily Evans just doesn't like him. (One Shot)

Disclaimer – The character are, of course, not mine. The song "The Tension and the Terror" belongs to Straylight Run.

If there were one thing that could be said about the most popular boys it would be that they were oblivious to the things around them. They didn't understand that sometimes girls just weren't that into them. The same was for one wizard at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry – James Potter.

James was what all boys craved to be in school: smart, good-looking, athletic, funny, have loads of friends, and have the girls be enchanted by every move he made. James Potter was a prankster, illegal Animagus, rich, witty, and top of Transfiguration. However, out of all the things James was and had, there was one person who wanted but couldn't have. The years of being pampered by his parents, being well liked by nearly everyone frustrated him that Lily Evans wouldn't give him the time of day.

Lily Evans was the beautiful Muggleborn that all the boys wanted. He could understand, slightly, why maybe – just maybe – Lily didn't want anything to do with him. When they first entered Hogwarts, she was the shortest in the their year. She had flaming red hair and her face looked as though a colony of freckles invaded her face. She had huge green eyes that shone out on her face. Her feet were small but her hands were even smaller. Nearly every day she was late for class and basically ran through the hallways the whole first year of school. All the professors loved her – especially the Potions professor Slughorn. At the time, James thought it was fun to tease her.

As the years went on, Lily grew up to be a – well, a woman. Thus, James Potter fell. Fell hard is what he did. He followed her around and constantly tried to chat her up a bit. Lily, however, didn't want anything to do with the boy and that made James only like her more. That was why, when they entered their fifth year, James made it his mission in life to win over Lily.

_All the boys voices cracking,  
Oh, the moaning half tones,  
Come summer time,  
We're all the same age here,  
All the tension and the terror,  
Thin limbed gorgeous green eyes smiling,  
And I'm going straight to hell,  
All the possibility and promise just,  
Weighs on me so heavily,_

Now James's friends Sirius, Remus, and Peter told him that it was a futile task. They told him to give up because Lily would never go out with him. This only made James want her more. It seemed that wherever Lily went, James wasn't far behind. If Lily sat in the front of the classroom, James sat down right behind her. If she was in the library doing homework, James was only a table away pretending to do his. To say it annoyed the hell out of Lily would be an understatement.

James would take any chance he got to talk to her. Although, the only replies he got were snippy, snide remarks. No matter how much she berated, belittled, or scoffed at him, he always went back for more. Everyday for nearly two years, James asked Lily out. The week of Valentine's Day, he sent her five-dozen roses each day. No matter how much charm he used, Lily still hated him.

Lily would only get mad after every chance James took to win her over, and oh was she beautiful when she was angry. James loved it when she got angry. Her eyes would narrow so that only a sliver of green showed. Her nose would wrinkle, squishing all of her freckles together. Her lips would purse together and move from side to side. Her fists would ball up at her sides. She would give a deadly glare and yell a bit. Then, she would stomp her foot on the floor and storm off – walking as fast as her short legs would allow her.

_And I try but I'm not convincing,  
Your lips they pout and twist and,  
I die trying just to keep myself from kissing you,  
You take in everything with a certainty I envy  
It's somehow all I need just keep me guessing please,_

"Come on, Evans, go out with me."

That was how almost every conversation the two had would start out. It seemed as though James actually thought that one day Lily would accept his invitation. Sirius said many times he was brain damaged after falling off his broom one to many times, but James would just wave a hand and go back to the drawing board of "Finding a Way to Get Lily Evans to Go Out with Prongs." After all the times he asked that question, Lily formed a habit of rolling her eyes at him before she would reply with a remark that would leave James angry and even more aggravated than before.

"Do you really have no life, Potter?"

"What's wrong with someone wanting to go out with a scrumptious thing like yourself?"

"Potter, piss off!"

"Ouch, Evans, I didn't know you swore."

"I only swear to a pillock like yourself!"

"Just say yes and I'll leave you alone."

"I wouldn't go out with you if the fate of the world depended on it!"

"So you'd let everyone just die because you like to be stubborn?"

"Leave me alone, Potter."

"Then just accept one date."

"What do I look like? A flyer for egotistical prats?"

"Well, no Slytherins are here so why would you say prats?"

"If you don't leave me alone this instant until the day I die, I swear to God, Potter, that I will hurt you so bad that you will never have children in your life!"

"So, should I shave for this?"

SMACK! Lily slapped James across the face. A look of shock passed his features as four red finger shapes shined brightly on his right cheek. Before he could say or do anything, Lily slammed her foot down onto the floor as hard as she could. She then shouted one last, "Go to hell, Potter!" before storming off.

_Oh darling all of these awkward jump-start-stalling conversations,  
Mean much more to me than anything,  
So it comes down to me and you and,  
Whether were supposed to or not we still will,  
We're so much better off than them,  
All the possibility and promise just,  
Weighs on me so heavily,_

Then, one day in August, James received his Hogwarts letter announcing that he had been made Head Boy. Him! Head Boy! Ha! Now that was a laugh! He couldn't believe it. Who was crazy enough to give him that sort of responsibility? Hell, his parents couldn't even believe it. Most of all, however, Lily Evans was furious. She even tried quitting her Head Girl position so that she wouldn't have to work with that Potter. To her disappointment, she wasn't allowed to quit.

"So, whom did you pay off to become Head Boy?"

"I didn't pay off anyone, Lily."

"Oh, so it's Lily now is it?"

"Look, I don't want to argue with you. I don't even want to be Head Boy. Let's just do the patrols, go to the meetings, and try to make this as pleasant as possible."

Lily could barely believe her ears. Whatever happened to the James Potter that was the biggest prat in the world? He actually sounded sincere for once in his life. Who was he and where did he hide James's body?

As their final year at Hogwarts droned on, Lily found herself falling for the boy she refused to ever accept a date with. He went from a git to becoming the very boy that she always dreamed of. By Christmas of that year, the Head Boy and Head Girl made it to the top of the gossip list at Hogwarts. They were dating! The two people who fought nonstop were in love.

_And I try but I'm not convincing,  
Your lips they pout and twist and,  
I die trying just to keep myself from kissing you,  
You take in everything with a certainty I envy  
It's somehow all I need just keep me guessing please!_

Only a month out of Hogwarts, the two moved into a flat together. James trained to be an Auror while Lily trained to be a Curse Breaker. Everything seemed perfect. Then their old headmaster contacted them. Lily and James were invited to join an underground organization called the Order of the Phoenix. It was a group that worked tirelessly against the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort. A group where they made friends only to watch them die or be tortured.

Eight months after graduation, James and Lily got married. They invited all their friends, family, and former professors. It was an extravagant event filed with floating candles, white lilies everywhere, and the most beautiful ceremony anyone had ever attended. Anyone who attended would say that they never saw two people more in love.

"Somehow, my heart tells me that I would have never known love if we never met. You are the air I breathe, the reason my heart beats. Without you in my life, I have no life at all. You are my soul mate, the only girl that I have ever loved and will ever love. You filled a gap within me. My other half. My partner. My best friend. My lover. Now, you will be my wife. How could I have been so lucky to snatch such a beautiful creature such as yourself? I love you more than life itself, Lily Evans. I would gladly give my life for yours."

James grabbed Lily's face in his hands. Her brilliant emerald eyes gleamed with tears of happiness. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to just kiss him right then and there. She had never loved anyone so much in her life. All the years of hating him in school seemed like a silly dream. Why hadn't she said yes to him the first time he asked her to be his?

_A look,  
A laugh,  
A smile,  
A second,  
Passes by and I regret it,  
Words just aren't right,  
Sometimes I just can't explain,  
All the ways you devastate me,  
Always on my mind,_

They fought in the war, started their jobs, and then had a baby, a little baby boy that they named Harry. The two were ecstatic. They were parents and loved every second of it. However, it all seemed to good to be true. Of course, a prophecy was made that could have very well made Lord Voldemort hunt the little baby. It tore the young couple apart. They just wanted their son to be safe, happy, and healthy.

_I try but I'm not convincing,  
Your lips they pout and twist and,  
I die trying just to keep myself from kissing you,  
You take in everything with a certainty I envy  
It's somehow all I need just keep me guessing,_

Their life of love and happiness ended so quickly. Lily and James – the fierce arguers who quickly became lovers – were murdered while protecting their son. It was a shame that they had to fall the way they fell. It was a shame that they couldn't live just a little longer. However, they saved the world thirteen years of terror, of murders, of torture. Though they may have been forgotten, they were the ones who stood up to Lord Voldemort in the darkest of times. They were heroes.

_I try but I'm not convincing,  
Your lips they pout and twist and,  
I die trying just to keep myself from kissing you,  
You take in everything with a certainty I envy  
It's somehow all I need just keep me guessing,_

And so, they were Lily and James. James and Lily. They were anything you wanted to call them. They had a story – a story of girl hating boy, boy never giving up girl, and girl falling for boy. James, the rowdy troublemaker had won over the witty redhead. They loved each other more than can ever be comprehended.

Author's Notes – This is my first try at writing a one-shot song story. I hope it isn't too bad. I was listening to Straylight Run and when "The Terrors and the Tension" came on, I couldn't help but think of Lily and James for some odd reason. So I listened to the song for about twenty minutes while I wrote this. I hope you enjoyed it. Please, leave a review and tell me what you think.


End file.
